Pokémon: Maverick from the Dark
by Bleeding Shell
Summary: Ash is traveling through Kanto, battling the Frontier Brains. But while out on the road he meets a mysterious trainerOC. Events unfold as Ash finds out what it means to be a True Pokemon Master. [If you're looking for bloody battles, read this.] New Chapt
1. Chapter 1

This is a Pokémon fanfic that I'm writing. I got the idea after watching an episode. This story links the TV Show and the games together. Almost all the original characters are based on people I know in real life; I even use their real names and their likenesses. The main original character is based off of me, but I changed his name. Also all the Pokémon belonging to the original characters are actually the Pokémon they own in real life on their games. My character truthfully owns the Pokémon mentioned. I want to keep writing the story but I'm not so sure it's good. So if you guys like what I have so far, review it, and tell me to continue. If I get no reviews, I'll put the story on hiatus and write another one. After an introduction of a new character, I'll put a profile of them at the end of the chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't the Pokémon Franchise. But if I did the battles would be cooler, the story would be deeper and the characters wouldn't act all lovey dovey. Plus the games would be more realistic, like actually having a bathroom in your damn house. I mean seriously, do all the characters in the game have to go out side to take a dump? And where the hell do they sleep? And why does every house look exactly the same?

**

* * *

Pokémon: Maverick from the Dark**

**Chapter 1**

A dark figure could be seen walking along the path in a dense forest. The full moon draped its nightly elegance over the wilderness; the trees cast shadows around the figure. Covered in a long black coat, he walked into a clearing; his eyes were shadowed from view by the hood pulled over his head. Stepping into the moonlit clearing, a devilish grin could be seen on his lips.

"Sneasel," he said, in a voice with no emotion, "Come here."

There was a rustling of leaves, and another, yet much smaller figure, appeared as it leaped from the tree tops towards the sky, silhouetted by the moon in the background. Descending from its jump at a fascinating speed, it landed next to its trainer. Despite the amazing speed in which it descended, it made no noise when it landed.

The Dark Pokémon looked towards its master, silently asking what to do next. "It is time, now our journey can truly begin." The two walked further into the clearing, to the other side, and disappeared into the dense brush.

* * *

It was a bright sunny day at the base of the mountain. Along the river that flowed from it, a group of four young people and their Pokémon could be seen. Two of which were in the slow moving river, enjoying a refreshing dip in contrast to the other two who were laying down on the bank, soaking up the sun.

"Ash! Why don't you take a dip with me and Max?" a brunette said, she was wearing a one piece swimming suit.

"Yeah, Ash, come on! You, too, Brock!" said the little boy that was swimming next to her.

There were two guys that were lying on the bank. One had light skin and black hair; the other had darker skin and brown hair. Both of them were wearing sun glasses and swimming trunks. They looked at each other, and as if they read each other's minds, they both said, "Nah!"

Flustered, May said, "Well you two don't have to be jerks about it!"

Suddenly, by a tree stump that had all their backpacks, there was a flash of light and a short fat grayish blue Pokémon appeared.

Running towards the water the Pokémon cried, "Munchlax!" And with a heave, it jumped into the air above the water.

"No!" all four of the young people yelled, but it was too late. The Munchlax hit the water and sent a small tidal wave in its wake. The water completely enveloped the two in the water and washed them ashore. The two boys that were already on the shore were soaked.

They all looked at the Munchlax with death in their eyes. "Munchlax!" They all said in unison.

Puzzled, while still floating in the river, Munchlax said, "Munch?" May got up from the ground and rushed to the tree stump. She rummaged through her pack and got his Poké Ball. In a flash of light he disappeared into the ball.

"Sis, you really need to learn how to control that thing." Max said.

She sighed, "Yeah, I know. But it's the same with Skitty, they can't seem to want to stay put."

"Oh well, guys," said Brock, "Let's dry ourselves off and get back on the road. We can make it to Riktor City before nightfall if we leave in an hour."

As they all started to get ready for the long trip ahead, they did not notice that they were being watched. Silently, the spy leapt from it viewing point in the bushes and disappeared into the trees.

"Did you guys hear something?" Ash asked his companions.

They all looked at him, and shook their heads. They returned to their packing.

"I'll be right back, guys," May said, picking a set of clothes, "I need to go change." She turned on her heel and disappeared deep into the forest. _I need to get in deep enough so that none of them will see me change. _She thought. She giggled as a guilty thought crossed her mind, _Although, I wouldn't mind if Ash 'accidentally' saw me._

She took off her bathing suit, shivering with delight when a slight breeze tickled her bare skin.

A bush rustled. May quickly turned around towards the noise. Her face was crimson red. "Ash? Brock? Max?" she said, covering herself up with her clothes because she was naked.

The bush rustled again. _What are they doing? _"Ash, or whoever, leave me alone! Pervert!" Again the bush rustled.

A small Pokémon came out from under bush, revealing itself to May. "Oh!" _I thought it was one of the boys._ The small Pokémon looked at her intently with a puzzled look on its face.

"Um, could you turn around, please?" May said, unsure if the Pokémon understood her. Wild Pokémon don't often understand humans, but this one obliged and turned around. Surprised that it understood her, May quickly got dressed. After she finished, she walked around the Pokémon so that they were face to face.

She pulled out her Pokédex, and pointed it at the Pokémon. After several beeps, the device said, "Sneasel, the sharp claw Pokémon. Sneasel is a dark and ice Pokémon native to the Johto Region and the Sevii Islands."

"Hmmm, so I guess that means that you have a trainer. You couldn't possibly have come from Johto all the way here." May deducted, "Oh, well. Bye, Sneasel."

May turned and left. While she headed towards the others, she thought about the Pokémon she had just encountered. _That Sneasel was the cutest little thing! It would be great in contests. Too bad it's already taken._

She reappeared out of the forest and met up with the guys. "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah, just a few more minutes," Ash said. "Who's that?"

"Who's who?" May asked, puzzled. _What is he talking about?_

Gesturing behind her, he said, "That Pokémon."

May turned around and saw that the Sneasel that she met earlier had followed her. "Oh, how cute! It followed me!"

The Sneasel went up to her. Its eyes were on her pack. She didn't seem to notice as she asked, "Did you lose your trainer? Would like to join us on our little adventure? Would you?"

May was crouching low to the ground, sweet talking the Pokémon. Ash sighed, he whispered to Brock, "Why is it that girls only want the cute Pokémon?"

Brock folded his arms across his chest, "I don't know, but appearance is something to look for in a contest Pokémon."

"Sneasel." The Pokémon replied.

"Is that a yes or a no?" May asked the Pokémon.

"Sneasel." It said again. Feeling like she was getting nowhere fast, she got up and walked over to Ash.

"Pikachu, would you mind asking Sneasel if it would like to join us?" she asked the Pokémon that was perched on Ash's shoulder.

"Pika!" It said excitedly and hopped off of Ash and bounded towards its fellow Pokémon. "Pika. Pikachu?" It asked the other Pokémon.

"Sneasel." It replied. Pikachu ran up to May and shook his head.

"Really?" May said disappointed, "Then what does it want, Pikachu?"

Pikachu briefly turned his back on May and asked Sneasel, "Pika?"

"Sneasel." It said, pointing with its claw at May's pack. Pikachu hopped up onto May's back and started digging through her backpack.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?" May said, obviously uncomfortable. Pulling out a Poké Block dispenser, he jumped down to Sneasel and gave it two of May's purple Poké Blocks.

"Sneasel." It said and bowed its head in gratitude.

"Seems that someone besides Munchlax likes May's Poké Blocks," Max said. Once again, as if on cue, Munchlax appeared.

"Munch." It said and walked over to the Sneasel. It looked Sneasel straight in the eye with a blank look on its face. "Munch." It said and promptly grabbed the two Poké Blocks from Sneasel's claw and popped them into his mouth.

"Sneasel . . ." It said in a threatening tone of voice. It drew back its hand; its claw started to glow, and then turned metallic. Drawing back its hand further it was just about ready to knock some sense into the dumb Munchlax.

Suddenly, the Munchlax groaned and its belly increased in size. Puzzled, the Sneasel's hand went back to normal. "Wow! It was about to use a Metal Claw attack." Max pointed out.

Munchlax lay back where he was standing and went to sleep. "Max, I think we should get out of here, wild Pokémon can sometimes be very aggressive." Brock said. As he said that, Sneasel readied itself for another attack.

"Oh, no! Please don't hurt my Munchlax, Sneasel," May said, "I'm sure that he's very sorry."

"Lax." It said in its sleep. There was a loud grumbling noise.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

"Uh oh!" They all said in unison.

"Everybody! Hit the floor!" Maxed cried out.

Just then, Munchlax let loose a big loud fart. "Ewww!" _The smell, oh my lord, the smell!_ The sheer force of the fart had everyone on the ground.

Having been interrupted from its attack twice now, Sneasel took advantage of the distraction to charge up its Metal Claw.

Max was the first to spot it, "May! That Sneasel is about to attack Munchlax!"

Sneasel drew its arm back, this time nothing would stop it from attacking. Just as its claw was about to connect with the sleeping Pokémon's jaw, a voice said, "Sneasel! Stop!"

Sneasel stopped barely at the last second. Its claw was only a centimeter or two from Munchlax's face.

"Who said that?" May asked out loud. It wasn't her or any of the boys. Looking around she saw no one.

"Me." Came the voice again. From out of the forest, a dark figure came into view.

It was a man, judging by its well built figure. The man was wearing a long black coat with a hood pulled over his head, hiding his features. He walked up to the Sneasel. "Sneasel," he said in a rough voice, "What have I told you about attacking a Pokémon without me telling you to?"

"Sneasel," it said apologetically. It hopped up onto his shoulder, where it stayed perched.

Walking up to May, he said, "Sorry, for my Sneasel's rude behavior." He extended a gloved hand down towards her to help her up. She took it and he pulled her up with no effort whatsoever.

"Its okay, my Munchlax is such a glutton sometimes." She said, impressed by the strong, yet, gentle way he pulled her up from the ground.

"It would seem that my Sneasel has taken a liking to you." He pulled off his hood to reveal his face. "My name is Merrick."

He had dark skin like Brock. He had short black hair, and very dark eyes. There was a long scar on his left eye, the only flaw on his handsome face. Although he was young, probably 18, he was quite tall, as well, at least six feet.

May awed that even though he was wearing a loose fitting long coat, she could tell that he was well built. _Tall, dark, and handsome. He's kind of cute, _she told herself.

"I'm May," she said, "It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm her brother, Max," Max said introducing himself.

"I'm Brock and this is Ash." Brock said, first pointing at himself then at Ash.

Shaking everybody's hand in turn, Merrick said, "Yes, it's nice to meet you all. Though, I wish it was under different circumstances." Looking deep into May's eyes, he said, "I apologize once again for my Pokémon's harsh actions towards your Munchlax."

Blushing, May said, "Don't worry about it." She stared back at him, infatuated.

"If I may ask," he said to Ash and Brock, "Are you four headed towards Riktor City?"

"Yes," Brock said, "Why do you ask?"

Merrick reached inside his trench coat and pulled out a black device. "My Pokénavigator is broken and I'm lost," he said holding up the device, "May I accompany you to Riktor City?"

"Wow!" Max exclaimed. "You have the latest version of the Pokénav? That hasn't been released in Hoenn or Kanto yet!"

"Yes and for that reason, it would be difficult to repair it." He said putting it back into his coat pocket.

"Well, you can stay with us as long as you like to get it fixed." May said._ He's so mysterious. It gives me chills thinking about him._

"Well, shall we get going?" Merrick asked.

"Yes." May said ogling the trainer.

The five of them started down the road. "Sneasel, you may go back into the trees as long as you do not cause any more trouble." Merrick said. With a short grunt, the Pokémon jumped from its trainer's shoulder into the trees. They continued walking down the road. Ash and Brock were complaining about Munchlax's cannonball into the river.

"Oh, no! I forget Munchlax back at the river!" May exclaimed. "I'll be right back."

"May I join you?" Merrick said, running to keep up with May.

"Sure, you can." May was secretly pleased that he joined her, but she didn't know why.

"Sneasel! Come on!" He called out and the Pokémon leapt from tree to tree following the two trainers back to the river banks.

"You have a really cool Pokémon, Merrick." She said.

"Thank you," he said, "Sneasel is my trusted friend, it just so happens that it is claustrophobic. It refuses to be in a Poké Ball."

"Really? My friend Ash has a Pikachu that is the same way." May said. "Do you have any other Pokémon?"

"Why, yes, I do," Merrick said, "My place of residence is in Riktor City, if you would like, once we get there, I could show you my team and my collection."

"I'd love that." May said. She didn't know it but she was developing a crush on Merrick.

Once they got to the river, May looked around for Munchlax. "Munchlax! Munchlax, where are you?"

"If I may be so kind as to help you?" Merrick asked politely. May nodded. "Okay, Sneasel, go into the trees to see if you can spot our friend, Munchlax."

Sneasel, who had been on the ground looking for the Munchlax with May and Merrick, leapt from the ground into the trees.

May and Merrick went deeper into the forest. Seeing her chance, since they were alone, May asked, "So Merrick, you live in Riktor City?"

"Yes, I do, I own an estate and the Pokémon Center in the city." He said. This surprised May; she didn't know that he was rich. "If you would like, you and your friends May stay at my estate while you are in the city."

"We'd love that, thank you." May said. She was putting all her charm into talking, trying to flirt with him.

They reached a clearing. "What Pokémon do you have, May?" he asked genuinely interested.

"Well," May said, "Right now with me I have a Munchlax, a Combusken, a Squirtle, and an Eevee. What Pokémon do you have with you, Merrick?"

"Well right now, I only have my Sneasel and my Absol with me. The rest of my team is at my home. I'm sure that my team will all be delighted to meet you, along with the rest of the Pokémon in my collection."

"Really? I can't wait." May said. Just then they saw Sneasel come out from the forest and into the clearing carrying a bunch of apples in its arms. Dropping each on the ground, she made a trail back to May and Merrick. Munchlax soon followed, and ate each apple on the ground. He looked up at May with a rather stupid look on his face.

Pulling out a Poké Ball from her pack she said, "Munchlax, return!" In a flash of light, May's Munchlax returned to its Poké Ball. Noting Sneasel, she said, "Your Sneasel is really smart."

"Yes, she is quite clever." He said. "It is the same with all my Pokémon. Although I train them hard, and they are loyal to me, I still allow them to be independent.

"Since Sneasel dislikes her Poke Ball, she takes full advantage of that independence." He chuckled, "But on some circumstances, she does bother sometimes. I apologize again for her attacking your Munchlax."

"No problem. We should hurry to catch up with Brock and Ash." She started walking back towards where she thought the road was. Calling Sneasel, Merrick followed her.

Walking in silence for several minutes, the duo stopped and looked around. "I think we are lost, May." Merrick said, taking in his surroundings.

"Yeah, I think so, too." May looked around. Seeing that nothing familiar came to her, Merrick reached into his trench coat and pulled out an Ultra Ball.

"Maybe my Absol can help us out." He tossed the Poke Ball on the ground. "Come on out, Absol." The ball opened and an Absol appeared.

"Sol." It said waiting for its orders. It sat on the ground in front of Merrick.

"May, do you have anything that belongs to Ash, Brock, or Max?" He asked.

"Um, yeah, I think so. Let me see." Pulling off her pack she rummaged around for a few moments. She pulled out a pair of boxer shorts and handed them to Merrick.

"Who does this belong to? Certainly a lady like you would not wear this."

"It belongs to Ash." May said, blushing.

"Why on earth would you carry around a man's underwear in your pack?"

_I need to think of something quick! _"I, um, do the laundry for our group. It, uh, must have gotten mixed up with my things." May said, blushing even more, knowing in fact that only Brock did the laundry. The underwear in her pack was not an accident.

He accepted the statement and turned to his Absol. "Absol, I would like you to lead us to the source of this scent." He held the boxers in front of him. Absol took a whiff and backed away. It was utterly repulsed, it began hacking and spitting on the ground.

"Um, did I forget to mention that I forgot to do the laundry?" she giggled nervously.

"Yes, you did." Merrick said, holding back a smile. Absol saw this and growled at his trainer.

"Sol." He said angrily and turned around and walked along the trail in a different direction than they were previously headed, his nose to the ground, sniffing away.

"It seems as if he is angry with me. I suggest we follow. Come on Sneasel." He said. The Sneasel leapt from the tree and landed on his shoulder.

**

* * *

Main Original Character**

Merrick ?

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 190

Eyes: Dark Brown

Hair: Black


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks to my only reviewer! Not much to say in this chapter but once the story gets going I'm willing to get plot suggestions from my readers. I've only written up to Chapter 10 (I like to be at least a couple chapters ahead) and now I have writer's block. If you guys have any suggestions, PM (personal message) me and I just might use your idea and give you a couple spoilers… Hehehe. Thanks

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokémon. I really wish that I did, but I don't. Once again, if I did the battle would a lot more bloodier.

**Summary:** May and Merrick are still lost, but find a safe place to rest for the night. Kinda of short with a little humor at the end.

**Pokémon: Maverick from the Dark**

**Chapter 2**

They followed Absol for an exceptionally long time. Merrick noticed this and said, "Absol, are you sure that this is the right way?"

The Pokémon looked back at him and nodded. It was getting dark, and the sky was tinted orange by the setting sun.

"May, I think we should stop for the night." Merrick said, "We can find Ash and Brock in the morning."

Looking up towards the sky, May said, "Yeah, I think you're right. We'll never find them now. Where do we set up camp?"

Looking off the trail and into the trees Merrick spotted a rock formation. "I think over there would do nicely." He said leading the way. May and Absol followed.

Walking through the trees, they finally came to the rock formation. It formed an arc facing away from the trail. He walked into the center of the formation and put his hands inside his coat. May a heard two loud clicks and Merrick pulled out two packs from inside his jacket. "What are those things?" She asked.

"These?" He said, "They are my packs, I don't carry a back pack so this is where I put my things, Poké Balls, potions, and other items. You catch my drift? Anyway they are quite heavy I do not wish to keep them with me while I'm walking about the camp."

"Oh, okay." May said. They were similar to the pack she carried around her waist, but not as bulky.

"Sol." Merrick's Absol made his way past May and started to dig a hole in the ground in the center of the camp. His Sneasel was up in the trees chopping of branches from the trees with its claws.

"What are your Pokémon doing?" May asked, puzzled at the Pokémon's strange behavior. She set down her things next to Merrick's.

He chuckled, "Can't you see? They are getting the camp ready. Absol is digging a hole to contain the fire, and Sneasel is getting the wood." May was surprised at the initiative that Merrick's Pokémon were taking. His Pokémon were completely loyal to him.

"Okay." She reached into her pack and pulled out her sleeping bag and set it near the rocks. Merrick was just about to leave the camp. May asked, "Where are you going, Merrick?"

"I don't want my Pokémon to do all the work. We are equals, so I do my fair share. I'm going to look for some berries. I'll be back soon." He left the camp and disappeared into the forest.

May knew how he felt; he didn't want to use his Pokémon as tools, so he treated them as if they were human. She walked over to where Sneasel was dropping the wood from the tree above. She took the wood and placed it in the hole that Absol had dug. Pulling out her Poké Balls she tossed them all in the air, "Come out, guys!"

All of May's Pokémon appeared. Going over to Combusken, she asked, "Combusken, could you light the fire for me, please?" Combusken walked over to the fire and let out an Ember attack. Slowly, but surely, the fire started, lighting the camp around it. It was already nightfall and May didn't like the dark.

May took advantage of Merrick's absence and started to change into her sleeping clothes. Kneeling down, in her underwear, she went looking into her pack for a top to wear. "Oh, damn it, where did it go?"

Merrick walked back into the camp with his arms full of an assortment of berries, "Where did what go?" He asked, not noticing that May was in her underwear. He was already by the fire when he noticed that. He dropped the berries in shock. "Oh, excuse me!" he said and turned around.

May was blushing scarlet. "Um, uh. . . Oh!" she said trying to cover herself up. She quickly went through her pack and found her clothes and put them on. "Sorry about that," she said, "I just wanted to change while you were gone."

Taking an experimental look behind him, he said, "No, it is I who should be sorry." He turned around and faced her face to face. He looked sincerely into her eyes. "Will you accept my apology?"

May mumbled, "Yeah . . . okay. Um, sure." She couldn't help but get lost in his dark eyes. She stared at him for a couple moments. When she finally realized that, she look away from him and asked, "Did you get the food?"

Turning around and picking up the berries from where he dropped them, Merrick replied, "Yes, I found quite a variety of them growing off a couple trees and bushes a little deeper in the forest. He sat down cross legged by the fire and sorted through the berries. "Okay let me see. 6 Oran berries, 5 Sitrus berries, 3 Chesto berries, and 15 Lum berries."

Sitting down next to him she said, "You really know your berries." She was impressed that he knew which berries were which by sight alone.

"Well, if you are trying to raise a contest Pokémon," he said, "You need to know what berries make good Poké Blocks, and what berries are good to keep your Pokémon healthy."

"Okay, guys come over here, its dinner time!" May called out to her Pokémon. All her Pokémon plus Merrick's gathered around the fire.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take the Chesto berries for myself." Merrick said, standing up and walking over to his packs. He sat down and started munching on the berries.

"Sure," May said, "I don't mind. I'll just take 2 Oran berries for me and let the Pokémon have whatever they want." Walking over to her pack, she reached inside it and pulled out the Poké Block dispenser. "Come over here Munchlax." The other Pokémon who were trying to keep Munchlax away from the berries sighed with relief. Popping out three Poké Blocks, May gave them to Munchlax, who ate them immediately. The second he swallowed, he became bloated and fell over on the spot, asleep.

May, Merrick, and the Pokémon finished eating. May yawned and went to her sleeping bag and snuggled in. The rest of the Pokémon found places around the fire and laid down. Absol and Sneasel went to lay down by there trainer. But they didn't go to sleep.

May turned around in her sleeping bag and faced Merrick. Neither Merrick nor his Pokémon were sleeping. Absol was laying down watching the moon; Sneasel was laying against a boulder with a rock in its paw sharpening the claws on her other hand. Merrick was just sitting there seemingly searching through his Pokédex's database.

May sat up and asked, "Merrick?"

Looking up from his Pokédex, Merrick said, "Yes?"

"How come your Pokémon aren't sleeping?" May asked, "And why aren't you sleeping either?"

Putting his Pokédex in his pocket, he said, "Well, as for my Pokémon, Sneasel and Absol are of the Dark type. That makes them nocturnal." May nodded. She understood that. _But why isn't he sleeping?_ "As for me, I just ate 3 chesto berries. Normally, for Pokémon, chestos awaken a Pokémon from sleep. I can't go to sleep for a while because of the effect it has on me. Go to sleep, I'll watch out for wild Pokémon."

"Okay, 'night." May said, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight." Merrick said.

May might have had her eyes closed, but she wasn't asleep, not yet anyway. _Merrick sure is a mysterious guy, but he is so polite. I wonder what the rest of his Pokémon are like... Maybe Ash and Brock are looking for us... Well whatever. I still can't believe that I got caught naked without my clothes on today! Twice! What a day, I need to sleep. I'll worry about this tomorrow._ May yawned, and fell asleep.

Noticing that May was asleep, Merrick said to his Absol, "It's okay, you can go now." Absol stood up and bounded into the forest. "You, too, Sneasel. If you'd like." He said to his other Pokémon. Sneasel gave him a nod and leapt into the trees and disappeared.

Merrick looked around the camp and watched May and her sleeping Pokémon. Her Munchlax was snoring loudly; a snot bubble was inflating and deflating steadily. Her Combusken was snoozing next to the fire. Her Squirtle was sleeping next to her silently snoring; every so often a bubble would escape its mouth a drift through the air and pop, obviously using a Bubble attack in a dream. Her Eevee was cuddled next to May's sleeping form, asleep next to its trainer.

Merrick's mind drifted to the Pokémon that he left at his house in Riktor City. _Tomorrow I'll get to see them again. I hope Christian and Daniel are taking good care of them._ Merrick got up to get is Pokédex out of his pocket. Searching through its database he found the Pokémon that he was looking for.

Picking up where he left off when May interrupted him he continued reading; his Pokédex was linked to his database at his home by a wireless network. It was like a mini computer. Merrick considered himself lucky that he had more advanced technology than other trainers, first his Pokénavigator and then his Pokédex.

Finding no sufficient information on the Pokémon he was researching, he decided to lie down. He had no problem lying with no sleeping bag because he has roughed it before and he wasn't going sleep. He stared up at the moon for the rest of the night, lost in his thoughts.

* * *

"Wait up!" Sneasel said, calling out to Absol. Absol was running along the forest floor, jumping left and right to avoid passing trees. Sneasel was jumping from tree to tree with extraordinary agility, finally catching up with its fellow Dark Pokémon.

Stopping, Absol looked towards the trees, "What do you want, Sneasel?" He asked. Sneasel leapt from the trees to the ground in front of Absol.

"We need to find the other trainers that Master Merrick was looking for." she said.

"And what do you think I'm doing?" Absol said sarcastically.

"I thought that you were hunting or something." Sneasel said. She genuinely didn't know. "I've got nothing against berries, but I'd rather have some Pidgey eggs or something like that. Thinking back to earlier that day," she said, "Or maybe some of those Poké Blocks that fat-ass Munchlax took from me."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Right now, I'm so hungry I could eat a Rapidash." Absol chuckled. "Too bad that there aren't any around here."

"Have you been following the scent Master gave you?" she asked.

"Yes, unfortunately." Absol took a whiff of the air, concentrating on the scent of dirty unwashed underpants.

"Did you see Master's face when he took the human's underwear?" Sneasel asked, "I almost fell off his shoulder from laughing so hard. And you kept gagging."

"Yeah, whatever. You're lucky you don't have sensitive nose, otherwise you'd be sniffing that repulsive stench with me." Absol started walking away. Taking another whiff of the air, he said, "We're close."

"I'll go up ahead and look." Sneasel jumped off the ground and into the trees again. Absol took this time to go over to a tree and do his business.

Liting up a hind leg, he relieved himself on the tree. He sighed with relief. "I've wanting to do that all day, today."

Sneasel came back bounding from tree to tree. "Hey, Absol, I found them. They're sleeping by a fire in a clearing not too far from here. Let's go back to Master and tell him." Sniffing the air, she added, "Do you smell that?"

Knowing what she was talking about, he started kicking dirt onto the tree bark trying to hide the scent of his piss. "No, I don't smell anything." He said hoping Sneasel didn't notice it. "Now that we found the humans, I can go hunt. Do you want to come with me?"

"Going after a Pidgey?" Sneasel asked.

"No, there aren't any Pidgey in the area. I do know that there are some Spearow around here." He said, trotting along the forest floor.

Sneasel followed him and said, "Spearow eggs don't taste as good as Pidgey eggs. But hey, you've got to work with what you got."

"I don't care about the eggs, it's the meat I'm looking for." Absol said, licking his lips.

"Yeah, let's just be back at camp before Master wakes up."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call him Merrick? His name is not Master. You act is if he treats you like a slave." Absol said.

"Sorry." Sneasel and Absol went deeper into the forest looking for food.

**A/N:** Please review! Please! I'm welcome to suggestions fot the plot.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Again, only one review! Damn… And by the same person no less! Whatever, I might just be talking to myself but as soon as more chapters are posted this story will get more attention…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon. Don't sue me please. These ideas are in my brain and need to be let out.

**Summary:** May and Merrick find the rest of the gang and they arrive at Merrick's house. Taking up May on her request, Merrick shoes the gang his Pokémon. But then someone new enters the story...

**Pokémon: Maverick from the Dark**

**Chapter 3**

"May, May," a voice said, "May wake up." May opened her eyes and saw Merrick looking down at her. She blushed.

"Good morning, Merrick," May said. She sat up and looked around the camp. Her Pokémon were just getting up, but Munchlax was still sleeping. Noticing that Merrick's Pokémon were not around she asked, "Merrick, where are your Pokémon? I thought you said that Sneasel was afraid to go into a Poké Ball."

"Yeah, um, last night when you were asleep, I allowed them to go hunting." Merrick said.

Puzzled, May said, "They went hunting?"

"Yes, even though that they are my Pokémon and they are on my team, I think it's still good that they can take care of themselves. They are healthier eating the food they ate before they were caught than eating human food. Plus, my Absol loves meat, and doesn't like berries much."

"Okay," May got up and went to her pack and pulled out her Pokémon's Poké Balls. "Return, guys." In several flashes of light, all of May's Pokémon disappeared into the Poké Balls. Going behind a bush, May changed into her traveling clothes.

She came back to the camp just a Merrick was reattaching his packs to his waist. Straightening out his long coat, he stretched. May saw his muscles flex and relax. _He certainly is well built; I wonder what he does to keep in shape. _

"Is there something wrong, May?" Merrick asked. May realized that she was staring at him and looked away.

There was a rustling of leaves and Sneasel leaped from the trees and landed in front of May. May jumped, startled at the amazing speed of the Pokémon. Just as soon as she recovered her wits, Absol bounded into the camp from the dense trees. "Your Pokémon sure are fast."

"Yeah, Absol and Sneasel are naturally very fast Pokémon." Sneasel hopped up to Merrick's shoulder and pointed back towards the trail. "It seems that rather than hunting last night, my Pokémon have found your friends."

After they finished cleaning and packing up, Sneasel leapt into the trees once again. Leading the way, Absol left the camp and went back onto the trail.

Acknowledging the crisp morning air, Merrick said, "It's a beautiful day today, I'm sure we can make it to Riktor City by midday."

Trying to keep up with the small talk May said, "Hey, Merrick, I've been wondering. How old are you?"

"I'm 18." He replied.

"Then how come you own a big house and a Pokémon Center?" May asked. She didn't know that he was that young.

"Well, I'll just say that I'm a very successful Pokémon trainer. I'll leave it at that."

After talking about the weather and the forest around them, they found that there was nothing to talk about. Silence fell over them for several minutes. The silence was broken when Absol said, "Sol."

"It would seem as if my Absol has found your friend." Seeing the in the distance walking towards them. "See? There they are."

Picking up the pace, May and Merrick ran up to Ash and Brock. "Where have you been? Did you get lost?" Max said really worried as he hugged his older sister.

"Yeah, when we got back to the river, Munchlax wasn't there. We got lost finding him." May explained.

"Fortunately, my Absol tracked you down and here we are." Merrick added. Pulling something from his long black coat, he said, "I believe that these belong to you, Ash." He handed Ash back his underwear.

A puzzled Ash said, "Where did you get these?"

"May had them in her pack," Merrick said, "We used it as a source for your scent."

Pulling May aside so that no one could hear, Ash asked May, "What are you doing with my underpants?"

May laughed nervously, "I . . . they, um . . . they got mixed up in the laundry." She knew perfectly well that there was no mix up. But Ash believed her.

"Excuse me, Max, may I see your Pokénav?" Merrick asked.

"Um, sure." Max pulled out his Pokénav and handed it to Merrick. After a couple beeps, he handed it back to Max.

"Your Pokénav is downloading the new version of its software via satellite."

"Really? Wow!" Max was excited, "Okay, lets get going." They all turned and headed down the road.

While they were walking, Merrick called back his Absol into its Poké Ball, "Absol, return." Absol disappeared into the Poké Ball.

After the group was walking for an hour or two they saw a city in the horizon. "That's Riktor City," Merrick said. "My mansion lies on the outskirts of town. We should head there first because right now it's closer than the city. Didn't you say you wanted to meet my other Pokémon, May?"

"Other Pokémon?" Ash said, "You have more?"

"Yeah, in my eight years of Pokémon training I've come a long way and I've caught a lot of Pokémon." Merrick said.

Sure enough after several more minutes of walking, they reached a high concrete wall, at least 9 feet tall. "This is the border of my Pokémon ranch. I have so many Pokémon that more than four fifths of my land was made into makeshift habitats for them. Another ten minutes and I say we'll reach the entrance to my house. Once inside I'll have the cook make us breakfast." Checking his watch, Merrick corrected himself, "Or, I mean lunch."

Walking along the wall, the small group finally came across a large black steel gate. Reaching inside is long black coat, Merrick pulled out a big black iron key. Inserting the key into the padlock between the two doors of the gate, Merrick said, "Welcome to my home."

As they stepped into the front courtyard, May, Max, Ash, and Brock could not believe their eyes. Out of sheer astonishment, Pikachu fell off of Ash's shoulder and landed flat on his face. Sneasel hopped off of Merrick's shoulder, and help Pikachu recover from its shock.

"Sneasel, go tell Daniel that I'm here." Merrick said. Sneasel immediately got up from a dazed Pikachu and ran towards the mansion at an incredible speed. It was just a black streak going across the driveway.

"Wow, your Sneasel runs faster than a Dodrio!" Max said.

"Thank you." Merrick reached inside his coat and released him Absol from its Poké Ball. "Absol go join the other Pokémon." Absol raced across the courtyard to the side the house and disappeared into the back yard. Absol may not have been as fast as Sneasel, but he was close.

Walking across the courtyard, they reached the front doors. Pushing them open, Merrick stepped into a huge foyer. Followed by the rest of the group, Merrick said, "Feel free to stay with me during your stay here at Riktor City. I'll get the housekeeper to set up your rooms. As for now you can leave your things here."

The group set down their things, still stunned by the sheer size of the house. They followed Merrick through the entrance hall into a kitchen. A female chef walked up to Merrick and asked, "Would you like lunch for you and the guests, Master Merrick?"

"Yeah, sure. The usual, please." Merrick said. He took a seat on a stool by the counter. Every one followed suit and waited for the host to speak. After a moment of silence Merrick said, "So, how do you like my house?"

The instant the words left his mouth, the four young trainers were attacking him with questions.

"Your house is so big!"

"How did you pay for this?"

"Where are your Pokémon?"

"How did you get so rich?"

Waving his hands in front of him, Merrick said, "Whoa! Hold it, one question at a time."

Ash spoke up first, "Merrick, your house is so big!"

"That's not really a question, but thanks." Merrick answered.

"How did you pay for this?" Brock asked.

"Yeah and how did you get so rich?" Max added enthusiastically.

"Well unlike most trainers nowadays, my work is completely dedicated to Pokémon training. To answer the question of how I pay for all this, I'll just tell you that my employer is very generous." Merrick explained. As a side note, he added, "It also helps that I'm very good at my job.

"To answer your second question, I worked my way up to where I am today. I started out a rookie trainer just like you, Ash." At that last comment, Ash suddenly looked a little red. Merrick corrected himself, "Not that you aren't a rookie trainer anymore, of course."

Knowing that it was her turn, May asked, "So where are your Pokémon?"

"That will have to wait until we finish lunch." Merrick said, just as the female chef came back holding a tray with five bowls of ice cream.

While Merrick ate in silence, Ash and the others started talking to each other about everything that was going on. By the time everybody finished, Max had already had two brain freezes.

"Now let's take a tour my Pokémon ranch." Merrick said, hopping off the stool.

"Pokémon ranch?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yeah well, I have so many Pokémon that I set up a 'Safari Zone' that my Pokémon can live in."

"You have that many Pokémon?" Ash said, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, and I've taken time to train almost each and every one individually. So with a vast variety of Pokémon, I can set up a team to take down almost any opponent. Of course I don't own every species of Pokémon, but I do own a vast majority." Merrick said. They walked out of the kitchen, then out to a back patio. Stretching in front of them for acres was the Pokémon Ranch.

Each portion of the ranch was a different habitat. There was a forest, some grassy plains, mountains and caves, a desert, and even streams and a very large lake. This was by far the largest artificial ecosystem that any of the young travelers have ever seen.

And that wasn't all. There were Pokémon everywhere. Pokémon of all types and species were living in their respective habitats, as if they have never been captured in the first place.

To the side of the house was a large pool for humans, and beyond that an elevated battled field.

"May, didn't you say you wanted to see my Pokémon?" Merrick said, walking off the patio towards the pool.

"Yeah . . ." May and the others were awestruck.

Snapping out of his astonishment, Ash said, "You must be a very powerful trainer to have all this."

"Yep, I am. Maybe we could have a battle later." Merrick said.

Ash eyes lit up at the chance for a battle, "Okay, but be prepared to lose."

"Don't worry, Ash, I'll go easy on you." Merrick said.

As the two trainers were talking, a young woman with sky blue hair and dark gothic clothing ran up to the group. Brock immediately saw this specimen of beauty.

When the woman came up to the group, she said, "Hi Merrick. You've been gone a while now. Welcome home."

Merrick turned from his conversation with Ash. "Hi Karen, did you miss me?" he said with a smirk. May noticed a twinkle in his eye when he said that.

_Who is this woman?_ For some reason May was jealous. Noticing her figure, May quickly got mad at herself for having not passed through puberty all the way yet.

Brock was instantly on one knee, holding the woman's hand. "Oh Karen, my beloved Karen," Brock said, acting goofy. "Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend? Ouch!"

Max had Brock by the ear and was pulling him away from Karen. Karen giggled, "Sorry. I'm taken."

Upon hearing these words, Brock's heart broke. With tears streaming from his eyes he asked, "Who? Who is it that has taken you from me?"

"Um, Merrick." She said. Instantly Brock fell back on the spot, stunned.

"Merrick's your boyfriend?" May asked. She wasn't showing it but she was extremely jealous. _Way to go May! Get your hopes up, and then shoot yourself down._

"Yeah," Merrick said, putting an arm around her waist.

"I. . . I see." May said. She looked down at the ground, she was instantly depressed.

After wrestling down a struggling Brock, Max said, "Wow! Are you Karen? _The _Karen!"

Karen looked at him with slight pride in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

Max could not believe his eyes. "Are you _The _Karen, The Dark-Pokémon trainer of the Johto Elite Four?"

Taking pride in herself, she said, "Yes, I am."

**

* * *

Character**

Karen, Fourth Member of the Johto Elite Four

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Height: 5' 4'

Weight: 120

Eyes: Violet

Hair: Sky blue

**A/N:** Karen is not an original character. If you've played Gold, Silver, or Crystal, you might remember her as the sexy Dark Pokémon Trainer in the Elite Four.


End file.
